Who is Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli?

Amid violent protests triggered by a social media ban, Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday, his aide Prakash Silwal said. The clashes, which erupted as anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew, left 19 people dead and more than 100 injured as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at crowds trying to storm the country’s Parliament.

Oli’s government lifted the social media ban after protests turned violent on Monday. The crisis is the worst Nepal has faced in decades, highlighting the Himalayan country’s deep-rooted political instability and economic challenges since the 2008 abolition of its monarchy.

Who is K P Sharma Oli?

Oli, a veteran Nepali communist politician, has had a tumultuous political career marked by his nationalist rhetoric and clashes with neighboring India. Oli has served as the Prime Minister of Nepal on two occasions, from 2015-2016 and 2018-2021, before being ousted by the Supreme Court in a controversial ruling.

Born in 1952 in eastern Nepal, Oli dropped out of school and was jailed at 22 for the murder of a farmer, Dharma Prasad Dhakal.

Oli’s political career began quite early at the age of 12, when he moved to Jhapa with the help of Communist leader Ramnath Dahal. By this time, Oli was already influenced by the philosophies of Marx and Lenin, and by 1966, he had entered the realm of Communist politics. In 1970, Oli joined the Communist Party at 18 and was soon arrested, spending 14 years in prison. Though he seldom discusses his imprisonment, those close to him say it profoundly shaped him. Oli was released in the mid-1980s after receiving a royal pardon.

In 1971, Oli assumed leadership of the Jhapa rebellion, a cornerstone moment in the Nepali Communist movement. The Jhapa rebellion marked a significant shift in the Communist movement in Nepal, from its ideological stance to armed revolt. During this period, Oli spent several months behind bars in different parts of the country.

In the 1990s, Oli gained popularity for his efforts in the democratic movement that brought down the Panchayat regime. Over the next few years, he became a key figure in Nepali politics and an important leader in the Communist party. In 2015, he was elected Prime Minister after winning 338 out of 597 votes. However, in July 2016, Oli was forced to resign after the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre) withdrew its support and he lost a no-confidence motion in Parliament.

Story continues below this ad

His popularity further grew when the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), in a pre-poll alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre) under Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, achieved a two-thirds majority in the 2018 polls. This alliance led to the historic merger of the two parties into the Nepal Communist Party, with Oli and Prachanda co-chairing and agreeing to share the prime ministerial term. Oli’s tenure saw ambitious promises like “Samriddha Nepal, Sukhi Nepali”, but was marred by unmet expectations and centralisation of power, including bringing investigative agencies under the Prime Minister’s Office. His reluctance to honour the power-sharing agreement with Prachanda and the preferential treatment to loyalists led to internal party conflicts, resulting in Prachanda’s withdrawal of support and the subsequent split of the alliance.

Oli’s grip on power further weakened when he abruptly dissolved Parliament on December 20, 2020, citing obstruction in fulfilling his promises, despite constitutional restrictions against such a move. The Supreme Court nullified this dissolution, reinstating Parliament, but Oli continued to face criticism for avoiding parliamentary sessions and ruling by ordinance. Following a failed vote of confidence in May 2021, he was reappointed as Prime Minister under Article 76(3) as none of the opposition parties could form a majority government or stake their claim within the provided time frame, the President dissolved the House of Representatives at midnight on May 22, 2021 and albeit Oli as a minority prime minister. Consequently, the Oli government became an interim government until new elections were held from November 12 to 19, 2021.

This action was challenged, and the Supreme Court, on 12 July 2021, not only set aside the dissolution but also annulled Oli’s appointment, directing the appointment of Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister.

After the 2022 elections, the NC as the largest party, followed by the CPN-UML in second place, with the Maoist Centre party coming in third. Chairperson of CPN-Maoist Center Pushpa Kamal Dahal asserted his claim to the prime ministerial post. However, the NC, holding the majority in Parliament, refused to accept him as the new Prime Minister. Subsequently, Dahal sought support from the CPN-UML and the newly emerged Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to bolster his candidacy and Dahal was appointed the Prime Minister, shifting Oli in the role of King maker.

From the homepage